Former Delhi Capitals player found guilty of rape

A court in Nepal convicted Sandeep Lamichhane, the former national cricket team captain, of rape on Friday. Following this, the final hearings began on Sunday. A single bench of Judge Shishir Raj Dhakal issued a ruling on Friday in the case of Sandeep Lamichhane. The Kathmandu District Court found Lamichhane guilty of rape. The court's order further clarified that the victim was not a minor at the time of the incident.

The Kathmandu District Court's conviction of Sandeep Lamichhane for rape is only the first step in the legal process. The next hearing, on January 10 will focus on determining the appropriate terms of the time that the former cricketer will be spending in jail.

It was in September 2023 that Lamichhane was accused of rape. The woman in question alleged that the cricketer raped her in a hotel room in August of the same year. CCTV footage confirmed that the two of them were indeed staying together. After facing accusations of rape in August 2022, cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane was arrested in Kathmandu. Dhruvaraj Nanda and Ramesh Dhakal, both part of a joint bench, allowed Lamichhane bail on a hefty sum of Rs 2 million. He was allowed to represent Nepal as well.

In February this year, the Scotland Cricket team refused to shake hands with the leg-spinner as a sign of protest against his presence despite facing serious criminal charges. Namibia too had their way of making their disapproval known as they did not shake hands with any Nepalese player, instead doing fist bumps. 

Unbelievable downfall

This marks another chapter in what has been an unbelievable downfall for the 23-year-old after scaling various peaks at a young age. In 2018, he became the first Nepalese cricketer to earn a contract in the biggest T20 league in the world, the Indian Premier League. Despite hailing from an associate nation, he had established himself as a force to be reckoned with and was much sought after by teams around the world. However, things have changed now and justice awaits for both the victim and Lamichhane.